


First impressions

by Melie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Denial, First Impressions, I mean that's literally the fic's title so, M/M, One Shot, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 05:40:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12205002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Melie/pseuds/Melie
Summary: Two weeks after facing Nekoma, Kei inexplicably finds himself thinking about his interaction with their rival's captain.Two weeks after facing Karasuno, Kuroo is still thinking about a certain blond middle-blocker. He does like solving puzzles, after all.The thing about first impressions is that, very often, they lead to second ones.





	First impressions

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukki's birthday was the perfect motivator for finishing this one-shot! Happy birthday to my tall snarky awkward wonderful baby crow <3 Here, why don't you celebrate by getting annoyed at your future boyfriend.

“ _You, on the other hand, maybe you should loosen up more, like a real high schooler._ ”

It's funny how random memories can pop up in your head for no reason whatsoever. And by “funny”, Kei means “not”.

Although in this case, it's more puzzling than anything else, because it's been a couple of weeks since that Nekoma match and he hasn't given it a single thought since.

Until now.

Why that line comes back to him at the end of training, while he's burying his face in a towel, is a mystery that frankly does not need, or even deserve, to be solved. Soon, he'll have forgotten it all about it.

Any minute now.

“Tsukki?”

“Uh.”

Yamaguchi's concerned expression is difficult to miss. Kei shrugs, puts the towel over his shoulder.

“It's nothing. Time to go.”

 

* * *

 

He's walking to Yamaguchi's on the next Sunday, headphones on, nothing but music to fill his ears and head, when it happens again. This time, at least, there's a logical explanation for it: he spots a cat on the other side of the street; cat leads to Nekoma which leads to Nekoma's captain.

That guy looked so fucking smug. Stupid hair and stupid face. Who does he think he is?

Going around telling people to loosen up.

It shouldn't matter now. It's been weeks, for fuck's sake. Kei should have forgotten all about his obnoxious grin.

Yet that image is very clear in his mind, for some reason. Did the guy piss him off so much it reverberated forward in time, so that Kei could only fully appreciate it weeks later? This is preposterous.

Sure, it's not as if the rival team's captain could completely disappear from his memory. Especially since he was a damn good player – and again with that smugness, and those side glances he shot him (and everyone else) during the entirety of the match. What a moron.

Kei sighs, turns up the music's volume. Soon he'll be at his best friend's house, so busy with his studies that he won't have a single thought to spare for Mister Stupid-Face.

What did he even hope to accomplish with that line anyway?

Probably just said it to be annoying.

 

* * *

 

“You know, in hindsight, I could probably have found something else to say. Something that didn't make it look like I was criticising him or anything.”

Two weeks is a lot of time to reflect on first impressions.

At first it was just a passing thought or two. Oh, yeah, that blond middle blocker looked like he had a lot of potential, but also like he wasn't fully invested in what he was doing. The same kind of thoughts Tetsurou had during the match itself. And he did take in a lot on that day, from that freakish duo quick (what even _was_ that) to the cool libero to how different Kenma acted around that 1 st year kid – a good kind of different, and they've even exchanged phone numbers, which is great, because there is nothing Tetsurou loves more than his friends being happy, especially, in the case of Kenma, when it involves making other friends.

So, thinking about an adversary is nothing new. And, well, it doesn't help that said adversary has been gifted with a decent dose of gorgeousness. The kind that is quite difficult to detach your eyes from. Not that Tetsurou even bothered trying.

“It just seemed like a good idea at the time,” he goes on, the ball bouncing on his fingertips, up and back down again.

A lot of people might think that Kenma isn't listening, what with the only sounds coming from his side of the room being those of his video game (and also: him hitting the handheld's buttons rather furiously). Tetsurou knows better, though, and even prefers it that way.

“Introducing the subject by pointing out our respective teammate's behaviour, then showing that I'd noticed his. That I'd noticed him. And, well, it sounded a little bit flirty on the side, which sounded like fun. In my head at least.”

He finally grabs the ball with his whole hands and sits up.

“You know, I'm not even sure why I'm obsessing about that. He's just a guy from another team, who happens to live in a completely different region.”

“And yet,” Kenma interjects at last, “it's the third time we're having this conversation.”

He's not wrong about that.

How could he even be wrong? It's a mathematical fact: they've already had this conversation twice. The first time a week after the match, the second one last week, and now there they are again.

Kuroo doesn't believe in love at first sight. He wouldn't fall for someone he knows nothing about. But this isn't exactly falling. More like stumbling. A bit. And it isn't love.

And it's not just that he saw someone with a pretty face either.

What Tetsurou knows for sure is this: he saw a puzzle and was intrigued by it.

So now that he's here, might as well roll with the ball and see where it takes him.

“Alright,” Tetsurou says. “Alright. Fine. Let's recap. He's cute, he's not bad at what he does but yet didn't seem completely into it either, his name is Tsukishima, and he looks like he's smart.”

“He _is_ smart. He's in a college prep class.”

Tetsurou blinks, and slowly turns his head towards Kenma. Stares.

Waits.

Until Kenma sighs, hits pause and looks back towards him.

“You didn't ask. Shouyou only mentioned it quickly.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“They don't really get along.”

“Okay. Anything else?”

“No.”

Tetsurou nods.

“Okay. Really smart, then. Smart is nice. I like smart.”

“You do.”

“Thanks for that info, Kenma. You're the best.”

“I'll tell you if Shouyou says more.”

“Yes. Please.”

He smiles.

So. Smart. Or at the very least studious. Which is exactly what he's pinned Tsukishima to be. A hard worker too – does that apply to volleyball as well?

Mysteries.

Tetsurou loves figuring out people. And that's probably what this is. Mostly. For now. Someone he wants to figure out.

Even though he doesn't have the faintest idea when or how he's going to be able to do that.

 

* * *

 

The prelims are getting close, and the vast majority of Kei's volleyball-related thoughts have had to do with his own team. The rest are pretty evenly spread between their potential upcoming adversaries.

All is as it should be.

Yet every now and then, there's a cat on the streets. Or someone moves on the court in a way that reminds him of that damn practice match.

_Loosen up._

Does Kei even look like someone who loosens up?

Why would you say that to someone you've barely met? And of all the things to say to all the people present in that gym, why this, and why him?

It doesn't make sense.

Which is why he shouldn't waste any more time thinking about it. And he won't.

 

* * *

 

“They've lost their prelims.”

It's not like Kenma gives him regular updates on Karasuno's progress, because he doesn't. And even if he did, enquiring about their rival is a perfectly natural thing. There's that Battle at the Garbage Dump to keep in mind, after all. But Kenma absolutely, definitely does not give him regular updates. And anyways that specific information, Karasuno having lost the prelims, happens to be relevant, so there's that. It _is_ perfectly normal that Tetsurou should hear about it.

What would be odd, however, would be for him to wonder how Mister I'm-Not-Good-At-That-Sort-Of-Things is taking the loss. Although maybe not that odd: he has admitted to being intrigued by the guy, hasn't he? So of course he's interested in his reaction.

He won't go as far as to ask Kenma, though. Plus, Kenma wouldn't know, since his new friend doesn't get along with Tsukishima. And said Tsukishima probably isn't the kind to confide in someone anyways.

Or is he? Another question to file for later. Not that Tetsurou has a whole list of them, mind you.

“Well, that's too bad.”

“Yeah.”

“I'm guessing Hinata isn't happy about that.”

“He hasn't said much, but no, he isn't.”

“There's always the spring tournament though.”

“True.”

Kuroo finishes changing quickly before heading to the gym. He manages to banish all thoughts of Karasuno... until the coach starts talking.

“Before we start, I have a bit of news regarding our training camp next month...”

 

* * *

 

The first thing that crosses Kei's mind when Takeda tells them about the training camp is that he's going to see that asshole again.

Which, as ridiculous as it sounds, is a perfectly reasonable thought to have. After all, he's already established that the guy pissed him off. Not that that one line was the most memorable thing of that stupid week-end either. But it was obviously memorable enough that it can still make his teeth clench when he thinks about it (which, thankfully, hasn't been happening so often lately).

Now that he knows he'll see him again, Kei would probably be planning on crushing Nekoma in retaliation... if he were someone like Kageyama, for instance. Thankfully, he has more sense than that. He's aware of his own capacities, and of his team's limits.

It doesn't mean that, should Kuroo “Loosen Up” Tetsurou come at him again with another stupid remark, Kei won't be ready for him.

Actually, he's pretty sure he can predict what said remark will be, and exactly how he will react.

Yeah. That'll serve him right.

 

* * *

 

“Soooo, have we loosened up yet?”

He's spent part of his day waiting for the perfect opportunity, before realising that there simply is no such thing, so he just takes the first chance he gets, in-between matches. He hasn't had a lot of time to observe Tsukishima today, although there may have been a few stolen glances here and there.

Tetsurou eagerly awaits a reaction... that never comes.

Instead, Tsukishima turns his slender back to him and picks up his flask, taking in a few gulps.

Rude.

Tetsurou knew he should have reconsidered his approach.

“Saw you get a hit from Bokuto earlier."

“I'm fine.”

Oh, it talks.

It's not that Tetsurou's heart flutters exactly, because it's way too early for that. But he does feel like smiling, all of a sudden.

“Glad to hear it.”

He may have spent quite a lot of time in the last few weeks going over various possible conversations in his head. All the different ways he could attempt to solve the puzzle. And yet in the end, now that he's facing that very same puzzle, Tetsurou is at loss for words.

Not in a “he's so hot I can't speak” kind of way. Well, there might be a teeny tiny bit of that.

But it's just that he can't figure out how to get the object of his not-exactly-affection-but-maybe-possibly-getting-there-someday to actually talk to him - that would really help to define whether or not he could maybe possibly someday like the guy, after all, because looks and first impressions aren't everything.

Which is how he ends up going for the obvious.

“So, you're Tsukishima.”

The obvious gets him a look of surprise, that soon disappears under an impressively well-controlled facade.

“And you're Kuroo.”

“Oh, you remember!”

“You're the captain of your team, it'd be weird if I _didn't_.”

It's happening again, the smiling thing. Not that smiling is unusual for Tetsurou. But he's truly enjoying this.

Especially since Tsukishima doesn't appear to be walking away this time.

“True, true. Aren't you going to ask how I remember your name?”

“Given your poor attempt at whatever it was you were doing by telling me, once again, to loosen up, you must have somehow decided that I was an easy person to pick on.”

Tetsurou's smile drops.

“Oh. No. Not at all.”

“Good. Because you'd be wrong.”

“I don't pick on people. I was just teasing. There's a difference.”

“Noted.”

“You seemed interesting, that's why I-”

Tetsurou stops there because two things happen at the same time.

One: he realises what he's just said. Is he flirting? Again? Already? Although in a slightly different way? It appears that he is. What a shocking turn of events that no one saw coming.

Two: Tsukishima looks up at him and something passes in his eyes that thickens the plot.

Absolute disbelief.

The moment passes: it's time for each of them to rejoin their team and begin the next match.

They do so without exchanging another word.

 

* * *

 

_"You seemed interesting."_

Well he's definitely wrong about that. What an idiot.

Playing pushes the thoughts away, even though each stumble, each point they don't score is yet another proof in Kei's eyes of what he knows in his heart to be true. Maybe “not interesting” is a bit harsh, if taken in a general sense. But he's not unique. And, as far as volleyball goes, he's not the best, nor the most promising.

And then they're playing against Nekoma again and something else happens. For the first time since the start of the training camp, he and that Kuroo guy find themselves actually, physically, on opposite sides of the net. Which obviously involves quite a bit of staring, because that's a very necessary part of what blockers _do_.

So that's normal.

What isn't exactly typical behaviour is what happens during those few seconds between the ball dropping to the ground (point to Nekoma) and it being served again. Their eyes meet, Kuroo smiles and it really, really looks like he's about to wink, which, _seriously, why_. But he doesn't, which is even more puzzling.

Stupid face. Stupidly good looking, at that. What goes on behind in that stupid head?

For the first time, Kei is nearly ready to admit that he wouldn't mind figuring it out. If only because of how infuriating that grin is – so infuriating, in fact, that Kei just _knows_ it's going to follow him back to Miyagi.

How ridiculous.

 

* * *

 

Tetsurou sees him approach, knows that he's going to walk past him and back into the bus without saying a word. As far as “figuring out Tsukishima Kei” is concerned, this weekend was not the most effective. But not a complete failure either.

He gets ready to nod and be ignored when the Karasuno blocker suddenly comes to a halt in front of him.

“In case you didn't get it the first time: I'm not good at loosening up. And I don't intend to start.”

Is that a challenge?

No, Tetsurou immediately corrects himself: more like a warning.

“Alright then.”

It's not exactly “stay away from me”. It's not “please force me out of my shell” either, definitely not. Tetsurou sees it as a kind of in-between. The jury's still out. More interaction will be required to know exactly where this is going.

“Until next time, then,” Kuroo says. “And congrats on your exams, which I'm sure you aced.”

Tsukishima blinks.

Then smiles. Maybe it's more like a smirk. But it's something.

Tetsurou's earlier statement to himself was a lie. He knows exactly where this is going.

“Maybe you're not that bad at reading people after all,” Tsukishima says.

And on that, he leaves. Prompting Kuroo to concentrate on Daichi, who is now coming towards him.

Captain duties come first (not that he'd really call that a “duty”). Overanalysis of a few seconds and endless replays of that smile-slash-smirk will have to wait until later.

 

* * *

 

Kei settles himself in the bus, puts on his headphones after a brief nod to Yamaguchi.

There was no need for him to talk to Kuroo, and he knows it. Nothing to be gained from it either. But it does feel nice to have had the last word, in a sense.

He closes his eyes and relaxes into his seat. Doesn't look out when the bus starts moving, although he can feel Yamaguchi turning to do so beside him. For now, he's just going to take a rest.

He doesn't try to push away the grin that's already haunting his thoughts (as predicted). Why bother, when he's going to see it again, in the flesh, in less than a couple of weeks. It's still preposterous, that he'd dedicate even the tiniest portion of his mind to someone he's barely met, but, unfortunately, it happens sometimes.

Who knows, it might actually go away sooner if he doesn't fight it.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Tsukki being drawn to Kuroo: This is PrEPOSTerOUS.  
> Kuroo being drawn to Tsukki: okay that's weird but still somehow logical might as well roll with it... oh no i rolled too far
> 
> (That's it. That's the fic.)


End file.
